fish – Everything about underwater and sky

Tsumaguro-hatanpo (Pempheris japonica Döderlein, 1883)

Tsumaguro-hatanpo (Pempheris japonica Döderlein, 1883) swims between colorful soft corals. Owase, Mie, Japan.

Tsumaguro means a black chip in Japanese. There are black spots at tips of the dorsal fin and the anal fin. The English common name isn’t in Fish Base ( https://www.fishbase.se/summary/13021).

I took this photo at shallow water at HitotsuIshi Point. This point is one of the popular diving points at the inner bay. It is the point enjoy from the shallow like under few feet to the deep like over 100feet.
This point is a reef made from the big rock standing up from the sandy seabed about -60ft. Colorful soft corals cover those walls.
The sandy seabed is continuing gentle slope down to 100ft.
We can see the fantastic Gorgonian wrapper and Ring anemone on the way of that slope also.

Hippocampus japapigu Short, Smith, Motomura, Harasti & Hamilton, 2018

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This pic is not brand new. But my favorite.
This guy is very tiny. Under 5mm long. Always behind seaweed or rock for hiding. And moving quickly. So it is so hard finding it out.
Fortunately, the guide I was diving with was excellent. He has good eyes. And has the knowledge for this guy. Its favorite place or appearance time and so on.
This seahorse had not had the scientific name longtime from it was discovered. Japanese divers have been calling it Japapigu longtime. Japapigu is the shortens the name from Japanse pygmy seahorse. This name is spreading to the world through the internet, the scientific name is named after this colloquial Japanese name.

Goods: Manta ray silhouette wooden box sign

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Manta ray silhouette wooden box sign
by LittleDinosaur

Manta ray silhouette wooden box sign
Manta ray silhouette and the diving flag. Tropical cool sea breeze from Yap island to you.

Close-up: My photo carrying on Outdoor Japan Traveler as the front cover.

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from 16p, The article about Diving spot in Japan is starting.

Thanks Tim! for carrying my photo on Outdoor Japan Traveler as the front cover. This photo from The 50 Best Dives in Japan: The Ultimate Guide to the Essential Sites, by Tim Rock and Noriyuki Otani
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PRJT8PG

Close-up : Brown-lined puffer キタマクラ

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Canthigaster rivulata (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850)

Pretty but venomous

Brown-lined puffer is tiny pretty fish. It is often swimming around colorful soft coral woods. The Japanese name of this puffer is “KITAMAKUR”. KITA is north. MAKUR is a pillow.
In Japan, when people die, there is a custom of turning the head of the dead body to the north.
It means that you will die if you eat this fish, carelessly.
This fish is venomous like other Family Tetraodontidae.
The body of Brown-lined puffer is flatter than another puffer.
It is similar to an edible fish like the filefish. This sinister name is a warning that you should be careful not to make a mistake.

Close-up : Spot eye flathead ワニゴチ

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Inegocia ochiaii Imamura, 2010

They look the same, but they are different.

Wow! It is Crocodile Fish (Cymbacephalus beauforti (Knapp, 1973)) ! Is it right? The answer is correct, and incorrect. This is Spot eye flathead (Inegocia ociaii Imamura, 2010). It is called “Wani-Gochi” in Japan. “Wani” means Crocodile. So, it can say “correct”. These two flathead is a very similar shape. Crocodile Fish has lappets on each eyeball. And has eyebrow above each eye. Spot eye flathead has lappets also, however, it doesn’t have eyebrows on each eyeball. Spot eye flathead is found in coastal water more south of Sagami-Bay in the Pacific side, more south of Wakasa-Bay in Sea of Japan side. Crocodile Fish is the fish that is seen more south, like Kyushu or Okinawa. So, the answer is incorrect. Anyway, when I find out a Sopt eye falthead, I’m fun. I can feel tropical even in the Temperate sea. Kajika, Owase, Mie, Japan. -18m

Macro : Shiho’s seahorse ハナタツ

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Hippocampus sindonis Jordan & Snyder, 1901

The Maracot Deep

Looking at the seahorse, I always remember a scene from the old science fiction novel “The Maracot Deep (1929)”. This novel is the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, famous for the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story is the adventure that marine scientists discover the sunken city Atlantis. I can’t forget is the scene where huge size seahorse eating eyeballs of huge halibut. What’s even scarier, the victim halibut have been sucked its eyeballs by the slender mouth of seahorse. So that I was a child age, it made scare my little heart. The seahorse of the photograph is a small size one called Shiho’s seahorse. This is about only 5 cm, tiny, cute, creature. However, if it would be over 10m….. I think stupid thinking.　Lol. Owase, Mie, Japan. -20m

Oriental flying gurnard

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Dactyloptena orientalis

Hi, this photo is not the same as I uploaded the previous time.
The description of the photo is different.
Thank you, Ron Silver.
He taught me the correct name as below.
“Based on geographic location, this is Dactyloptena orientalis (Dactylopterus volitans is an Atlantic/Caribbean species”
This pic is taken at Owase, Mie, Japan.
I re-upload the photo that corrects the name on the picture.
Thank you.

Close-up : Longfin batfish ツバメウオ

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Platax teira (Forsskål, 1775)

Shy and friendly

Longfin batfish are often seen from late summer to spring at the artificial reef point, called Gyosho point (The top is -18m. The bottom is -23m). They come from anywhere with a couple or three. And will go away to somewhere. At first, they are shy. When they look at divers, they hide behind the reef blocks. However, after a while, you will be able to shoot from nearby. It is a fun scene for them to swim behind divers looking for Longfin batfish. This picture was taken during a “safety stop”. If they feel like it, they will rise up with divers and see off. Owase, Mie, Japan. -5m

Close up : Flying gurnard セミホウボウ

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Dactylopterus volitans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Flying gurnard doesn’t fly, yet cool

Flying gurnard has beautiful bright spots on its back, so, there are many photos taken from the top. But I like this angle. Big chest fins like wings. A dorsal fin like a vertical tail. Pelvic fins like landing gears. It looks like a fighter waiting for takeoff. When observing, it runs on the sea floor dexterously and floats up around 10cm from the sea floor, flying about 1m and lands on the sea bed. Flight performance doesn’t seem to be very good, yet, it’s cool. Kajika, Owase, Mie, Japan. -18m

Macro : Parablennius yatabei イソギンポ

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Jordan & Snyder, 1900

It is not rare but cute

The Yatabe blenny is a species of combtooth blenny. Two sticks protruding from the head are marks. It is not difficult to see them at the rocky shore in Japan. However, this Yatabe blenny lives at the sandy bottom area. So that his home is the hole of a steel pipe. This pipe is a part of a scaffold that was sunken to make it a fishing reef. This blenny is about 8-10cm. It seems an adult fish. Osezaki, Izu peninsula, Japan. -12m.

Macro : Young Pineconefish マツカサウオの幼魚

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Monocentris japonica (Houttuyn, 1782)

Shape is the adult, yet very tiny and cute

Matsukasa-uo in Japanese. Matsukasa is pine corn. uo is fish

Pinecone fish are displayed as “Luminous fish” in many aquariums. It is interesting to see the area under the eyes of them are fluorescing in the darkened tank. Generally, they live in the deep sea, However, young Pinecone fish are found shallow water where we can watch longtime in Scuba Diving. Many fishes are different shape young age and grownup. There is a lot of fish that the appearance is largely different in child and adult. Although the shape of Pinecone fish is as same as an adult, it is very cute that swimming around under the of rock reef in the tiny body.